Judge Rules Harry and ANL Must Go To Trial

He also questions whether Harry used a "masterclass in the art of spinning" against the public

Harry at a court hearing in London this year. Getty

Happy Sunday!! Hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend. Maybe more holiday preparation than relaxing? But, still lots of fun. Just like in holiday prep, details mattered this week in royal watching, especially for Harry and Omid. Both had a telling week, with revealing updates which we are watching with keen interest.

This week, Harry’s case against Associated Newspapers Ltd. (ANL), who owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, took a dramatic turn against him. With the judge giving a strongly worded judgment. Harry is suing ANL for libel (yes, the irony is not lost on anyone), claiming they lied about him in a story where it was said he never offered to pay for his own security and wanted to keep his fight against the government over security secret. The parsing of the claim is this, if Harry offered to pay for his security, when was the offer made? Before or after Harry started proceedings against the government for a review? And was there an attempt to mislead the public about his case? The judge had this to say on the matter.

ANL is accusing Harry of publicly lying about his claim to pay for his own security. ANL is claiming that offer was only made after the review was started, so Harry could spin it like that to the public. They contend, their reporting was not libel and Harry is trying to confuse the public. Use and confuse the public, that’s what the Sussexes have been doing for years.

Harry’s legal team wanted to strip ANL of their defense and hopefully avoid a trial through a summary judgment, but the judge ruled no, these issues must go to trial. So, a 2024 trial is expected and Harry will be a key witness.

Another detail that emerged in this case, which was previously unknown, Queen Elizabeth’s Private Secretary, Sir Edward Young, wrote to Sir Mark Sedwill, the then Cabinet Secretary, to inform him about security discussions for Harry following the Sandringham Summit. “The letter, published as part of a summary judgment on Friday, contradicts the prevailing narrative that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were cut off by the Royal Family after being “forced” to leave Britian,” The Telegraph reported.